Control and operating means for paralyzed hands



May 15, 1951 e. B. ROBINSON ET AL 2,553,277

CONTROL AND OPERATING MEANS FOR PARALYZED HANDS Filed July 10, 1950 INVENTOR.

Patented May 15, 195i UNITED OFFIE CONTROL AND OPERATING MEANS FOR PARALYZED' HANDS George. B. Robinson and .jGreorge S. Gage, Jr.,

'Vallejo, Calif.

Application July 10, 1950, Serial No. 172,946

6 Claims.

This invention relates to, means for controlling and operating a paralyzed hand and provides a means by which, through a conventional artificial limb control harness operated through muscular or limb movements, a paralyzed hand can be made to pick up articles such as picking up and lighting matches for lighting pipes or cigarettes, writing with pen or pencil controlled by wrist or arm movements, and cause the paralyzed hand to carry out many other functions of which it alone is incapable.

This invention provides .a means by which the operation of the paralyzed hand .is similar to a normal hand in gripping and holding articles in that the articles are picked up, gripped and held between the fingers and thumb and not between artificial devices as is the case with artificial hands, therefore, so long as the arm is. not para.- lyzed, the paralyzed hand can be used for many purposes such as writing, for handling knives, forks and spoons while eating, holding foodssuch as sandwiches, in fact making the hand useful for many normal functions.

The objects and advantagesv of the invention are as follows:

First, to provide means applicable to a paralyzed hand and operable through a conventional artificial limb harness which will enable. the hand to pick up and hold various articles.

Second, to provide means as outlined which will, through muscular or limb control cause a paralyzed hand to perform many normal functions.

Third, to provide means as outlined which will enable the exercising of paralyzed hands.

Fourth, to provide a means as outlined which is simple in construction and operation and composed of a minimum number of parts, and which permits actual gripping of articles between the thumb and fingers of the paralyzed hand.

In describing the invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1 taken on the thumb side of the hand.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4. is a section taken on line 44 of Fig. 2.

The invention can be operated through any suitable type of muscular or limb controlled harness and which harness does not form a part of this invention except as connected through the flexible sleeve Ill and operating cord I i, different types of suitable harnesses being well known in the art and therefore not being shown.

The invention consists of a wrist shield, a hand 2 and thumb shield and a finger shield, pivotally connected together with proportionate movement limiting means cooperating between the hand shield and the finger shield to provide suitable operation of the paralyzed hand.

The wrist shield l2 fits over the back .andsides of the Wrist is and is provided on the underside with a strap it which secures the wrist shieldto the wrist by suitable fast nin me ns such as a snap fastener [5, this wrist shield terminating on each side atits for-wardend in a vertical control connection It. with a se es, of eq p c o necting holes ll, l8, I9 and 2G.

The l' and; and thumb shield 21 is formed to fit over the back of the hand and over the two sides as well as over the thumb in lowered position as shown in Fig. 2, with the thumb portion covering only the back and underside of the thumb as in; dicated in the section in Fig. 3 leaving the top and inside of the thumb free and includes a strap 22 which secured the thumb in the shield through a suitable fastening means suchas the snap fastoner 2 3 and this combination hand and thumb shield is pivotally connected to the wrist shield intermediate the height of the vertical control connection at 24. v V

The finger shield 25 fits over the back and sides of the fingers with the fingers in a partly re.- tracted position as shown and includes straps 26 and 21 for securing the fingers therein, the shields terminating in spaced relation to the end of the index finger 28 and the thumb 29 to permit actual rinn n by the thumb a d fi ge s. as indi a a 3,0 and. 3. and. this shield pi ll co ne ted to the h nd s ieldat '32 and as an ext nsion '33 dep nding fr m the pivo poin and a shrine 34 connects between the lower end of this extension and the hand shield to normally close the finger shield to cause the paralyzed fingers to cooperate with the thumb as shown.

A movement proportioning connection 35 has one end connected at a point below the pivot 32 as indicated at 36 with the other end connected to the vertical connector it, this end being adjustable to different positions above and below the pivot connection 2d, so that the hand can be worked in either way, and as shown connected the hand shield moves back when the finger shield is drawn back but to a lesser degree, while if said other end is moved to the next lower connecting point at 25!, the hand shield will move still less in proportion to the movement of the finger shield, and if located belowthe pivot will move in the opposite direction, being depressed while the finger shield is drawn back.

These shields are all formed of a relatively rigid material, such as a rigid plastic preferably reinforced with a textile material to make it unbreakable, such materials being well known in the art, it being necessary to have these shields sufficiently strong and rigid to withstand the stresses exerted between the fingers and thumb in picking up, holding, and carrying articles for which the device is designed.

As will be noted, the cable in is anchored to the back of the hand shield as indicated at 31 and to the back of the wrist shield at 38, these gripping members having a recess to forcibly receive the cable but which is slightly narrower at the top as indicated at 39 so that the cable can be manually pressed into position through this slightly narrower slot, and hold the cable, while the operating cord l I operates freely within the cable, the cord and cable being suitably connected to the harness, not shown, as it does not form a part of the invention.

As connected in the drawing, if the cord is drawn back, the finger shield is drawn up and the hand shield is also drawn up to a lesser degree because of the control connection 35 and its points of connections on the wrist shield and finger shield. If the connection is connected in hole 20, the hand shield will be swung up to a lesser degree in proportion to the finger shield.

The connection points below the pivot 24 are for exercising of the main finger joints as the hand shield will be deflected downwardly when the fingers are raised. 7

In any case, when the cord H is released, the

spring closes the fingers against the thumb.

We claim:

1. Control and operating means for a paralyzed hand comprising three articulated members including a wrist shield, combined hand and thumb shield, and a finger shield, all formed of relatively rigid material and covering only the backs and sides of the respective portions of a hand; spring means cooperating between the finger shield and the combined hand and thumb compassing the back and sides only of the wrist,

hand, thumb, and fingers, and having a pivotal .4 connection approximately at the finger joint, and a cord and a spring cooperating with the portion encompassing the back and sides of the fingers for opening and closing said portion to open and close the hand, with said cord attachable to a harness for operation.

3. A structure as defined in claim 2; said shield including three shields, respectively for the wrist, the hand and thumb, and the fingers, with the wrist shield pivoted to the hand shield substantially in registry with the wrist joint of a hand, for wrist movement during operation by said cord and spring.

4. A structure as defined in claim 3; straps cooperating between the respective sides of the wrist shield, between the sides of the thumb portion, and between the respective sides of tlfe finger shield at two spaced points for securing the wrist, fingers and thumb in the shield.

5. Control and operating means for a paralyzed hand comprising; a wrist shield having back and side walls for engaging over the. back and sides of a wrist and having means for securing the wrist in the shield, and having cable holding means on the back; a hand and thumb shield connected to said wrist shield substantially in registry with the wrist joint and encasing the back and sides of the hand, the back and underside of the thumb and having a cable holding means on the back, and means for securing the thumb in the thumb shield; a finger shield having back and side walls for encasing the fingers and having means for securing the fingers therein, said finger shield being pivotally connected to said hand shield substantially in registry with the main finger joint; a spring cooperating between said finger shield to said thumb portion and a cable secured in said cable holding means and having a cord operable therein with one end connected to the back of said finger shield and with the other end connectable to a harness.

6. A structure as defined in claim 5; said hand shield being pivotally connected to said wrist shield; a rigid connection pivotally connected at its opposite ends to said finger shield and said wrist shield respectively in spaced relation below and above the respective pivotal connections for decreased movement of the hand shield relative to the finger shield during operation by said cord and spring.

7 GEORGE B. ROBINSON.

GEORGE S. GAGE, JR.-

No references cited. 

